Seven Dead in Major Russian Attack on Ukraine Russian drone and missile strikes killed at least seven people and wounded dozens more in Ukraine on Saturday, April 25, 2026, according to Ukrainian officials. The attacks, which lasted over 12 hours overnight, targeted multiple cities including Dnipro, Odesa, Kharkiv, and Chernihiv, with Dnipro bearing the brunt of the assault. In Dnipro, regional authorities reported that a four-storey apartment building was partially destroyed in an overnight strike, resulting in four deaths and at least 14 injuries, including one child. Rescue workers continued searching through rubble for survivors into the morning, with multiple bodies recovered from the wreckage. A separate strike later in the day killed another person in the same residential area, bringing the city’s death toll to five. Beyond Dnipro, Ukrainian officials confirmed two fatalities in Chernihiv from Russian missile strikes. Additional attacks were reported in Odesa and Kharkiv, though casualty figures for those cities were not specified in the immediate reports. Ukrainian air defenses intercepted and shot down the majority of more than 600 Russian drones launched during the assault, which officials described as one of the largest drone barrages in recent days. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy characterized the attacks as relentless, stating they “lasted practically all night” and involved a combination of strike drones, cruise missiles, and ballistic weapons. He reiterated that Russian forces continue to target ordinary urban infrastructure, including residential buildings, energy facilities, and industrial enterprises. Internationally, British jets were scrambled from Romania after Russian drones were detected near NATO’s eastern flank, though the UK Ministry of Defence denied reports that any aircraft were shot down. In retaliation, Ukraine launched long-range drone strikes deep into Russian territory, with impacts reported in Yekaterinburg and Chelyabinsk, where industrial facilities were damaged and several people injured. The assault marked the fourth consecutive day of intensified Russian attacks on Ukraine, particularly targeting logistics and volunteer hubs critical to the country’s defense efforts. Ukrainian officials emphasized that despite the scale of the barrage, their air defense systems remained effective in mitigating further losses. As rescue operations continued and damage assessments unfolded, Ukrainian leaders called for renewed international diplomatic engagement to halt the escalating violence, even as battlefield exchanges intensified.
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